From the “it was just a matter of time” category, Twitter will soon be pushing out ads through user message streams as well as through a trends campaign:
Twitter is beginning to roll out its ad platform, which allows advertisers to insert messages into users’ streams. But the microblogging service already has an idea for a new product: Selling some of the real estate dedicated to its “trending” feature, where it highlights topics Twitter users are chattering about.
[The trends compaign] gist seems to be this: Advertisers will be able to insert their own terms into the list of trends Twitter displays on users’ homepages (see image below; click to enlarge) and on its login page. Clicking on a term would call up a Twitter search results page, which would feature the associated advertiser’s “promoted tweet” at the top of the results.
Something like this shouldn’t be a huge surprise to Twitter users as nothing can stay free forever. While Twitter is simple in concept, the amount of overhead the site has is enormous due to it’s popularity. Eventually Twitter will have to pay the bills and make a profit to make itself sustainable as a long term business.
Since many businesses and people use Twitter to promote themselves and make money, it seems what is good for the goose is good for the gander, but it will be interesting to see what the user reaction to these changes will be.
Twitter users, what are your thoughts?
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I rarely use mostly cause none of my friends use it but I don’t think it’s that good of a platform I am a big Open source supporter in fact the os I’m using right know is Ubuntu.
You said things can’t stay free forever what about Facebook
Facebook is “free” in terms of registration and using the system. Facebook makes their money by selling all your information to advertisers (hence all the Facebook privacy articles out there).
In the same sense, Twitter will be “free” in registration as well, the only difference is they will use a Google-esque Adsense advertising model which is based on the content of what you are posting.